Directed by: Lee Daniels

Written by: Danny Strong

Based on A Butler Well Served by This Election by Wil Haygood

Starring: Forest Whitaker & Oprah Winfrey

Lee Daniels’ The Butler is an American historical fiction drama starring Forest Whitaker as Cecil Gaines, a African-American butler in service at the White House through the years of the Civil Rights movement, before and after and the struggles he faced as an African-American.

Simply a beautiful movie. From the beginning to the end the strength of the movie was spellbinding. The story, while tragic in the beginning, set the premise for the character to move on from the cotton field, from the south and go up in the world, even if it was only a short distance away. The movie, while filled with historical inaccuracies, was able to capture the struggle this one man had to endure as an African-American.

The story was brilliantly done, taking an article and spinning this incredible movie out of it. Danny Strong was able to capture the events in the world that really happened and was able to brilliantly tie them into the movie and make it so strong and full of depth. Not only does the movie center around the Butler, but it focuses a lot on the growth of his sons, where one becomes an activist for African American rights, fighting the established, first with peaceful protests alongside Martin Luther King Jr., then joining the Black Panther movement, questioning his own beliefs. While the other son sees what his father sees and instead of fighting against his government, he want to fight for his government, no matter the prejudices within in.

Honestly, this is one the best films of the year, it was both powerful and amazing. Each president who had a part to play in the involvement in the civil rights movement, and the ensemble cast that accompanied it was just, amazing. This is a movie with that captured history truthfully without shame. It was beautiful and beyond that, there is nothing left to say. ★★★★ (A+)